


The Children of Thanos

by bassetfan



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: (Possible implied) Major Character Death, Angst, Horror, Human Sacrifice, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Murder, Possession, Protective Thor (Marvel), Suicide, Teenage AU, Underage Drinking, ghost story, major character deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27438673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bassetfan/pseuds/bassetfan
Summary: Loki closed his book.  “So, what now?""Now, you gather your things.  Tony and Bruce will be here in twenty minutes to pick us up.""Gather my things?"Thor affected a look of innocence.  "Oh, did I forget to mention that we would be spending the next two nights in a haunted house?"When Thor, Loki and their friends decide to spend two nights in a haunted house, what could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Jane Foster/Thor, Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 12
Kudos: 41





	The Children of Thanos

**Author's Note:**

> **Please check the tags and the end notes for warnings!!!**
> 
> It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything, and I apologise to anyone that’s been following my stories. I’ll update soon, it’s just been the worst month or so. 
> 
> I love horror films, and this story draws heavily from a lot of them. Let’s be honest, there’s very little originality in most ghost stories but we love them anyway. Also, as well as the characters, I’ve used quotes from movies that belong to Marvel. Also included in this work (that don’t belong to me) are the following - 
> 
> Quote - ‘Who steals my purse steals trash’ - Othello by William Shakespeare.  
> Poem excerpt - The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.  
> Poem excerpt - The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt.
> 
> Also, although I’ve tagged it as ‘Loki/Tony Stark’, it’s very ‘blink and you’ll miss it’, as are the other relationships and the Guardians of the Galaxy characters. Just in case that’s what you’re reading this for.
> 
> I think that’s everything. Please let me know if there are any tags or warnings I’ve forgotten. Sorry I didn’t get this out in time for Halloween, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Loki was hunched over his textbook when Thor burst in. His attention shifted from concentrating on his book to deliberately not noticing Thor.

It didn't work. It never worked. Loki often thought Thor was like a big, overgrown puppy, bounding everywhere and demanding attention.

Thor grabbed the back of Loki's chair and spun him around.

"Thor!"

"Brother, I need your help!"

"Thor, I’m trying to study."

"It's Friday night. No one needs to study."

"I have a test on Monday morning."

"I'm sure you know everything already. Now it's time to have a little fun!"

"Perhaps if you spent a little more time studying and little less time having fun, I wouldn't need to keep helping you with your assignments."

"Loki, you know you love that!" Thor grinned and sat on Loki's bed. "In fact, most of the time I only ask you so that you can feel superior to me!"

Loki rolled his eyes. "Thor, I’m serious. This is an important test and I really need to make sure I pass."

Thor reached forward and grabbed the book from him. "Calculus? Trust me, brother, you'll never need it."

"And you know this how?"

Thor grinned. "Because I looked it up once. Only five percent of jobs require calculus and I don't imagine you would want to do any of them. You're a theater major, you are going to be an actor - why on earth would you need calculus? Now the opportunity I am offering is far more exciting."

Loki threw down his pen and groaned, although inwardly he didn't really mind. He hated calculus and would rather do almost anything else. He wanted to get good marks in the hopes of impressing their father, but it seemed like an impossible task.

"Alright, what do you want?"

Thor paused for a moment as he decided what to say. Loki narrowed his eyes. His brother wasn't hard to read and whatever this was, Thor thought he wouldn't like it.

"It's…" Thor sat up straighter, "it's a matter of honor. _Our_ honor," he stressed, hearing Loki's groan.

"Thor, not everything has to be a matter of honor. Can't you just let some things go?"

"No! A man's honor is everything! What's that thing you're always quoting?" Seeing Loki look blank, he frowned in thought. "You know, the thing about stealing trash and names? That one?"

Loki regretted ever sharing that quote with his brother. "Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing; twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands; but he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed."

Thor watched his brother in awe as he recited the lines. "Brother, I will wager every item I own that you will never need calculus. I have no doubt that you will be the greatest actor that ever lived."

Loki blushed and looked away. There was no doubting Thor's sincerity. Trying to cover up his embarrassment, he said, "Alright, what is it? What do you want me to do?"

Again, Thor looked almost guilty. "Well… it's a long story. We were watching a film about a haunted house and afterwards, Fandral and our friends began talking about setting up a business debunking ghosts and haunted houses."

Loki felt himself stiffen. “So?"

“They said it would be easy money, because they insist there are no such things as ghosts and everything can be disproved with simple science. They're calling themselves 'the Warrior's Three’! Ridiculous name, do you not agree?"

Privately, Loki did agree, especially since Fandral’s girlfriend, Sif, was constantly with them. ‘The Warrior’s Three plus Sif’ didn’t have quite the same ring to it. He didn’t share his thoughts with Thor; instead he folded his arms and waited for his brother to continue.

Getting no response, Thor carried on, "Anyway, I disagreed, and so did Bruce and Tony. We decided to make a bet."

"A bet?" Loki's tone was icy. He thought he had a pretty good idea about where this was going.

"Yes! We bet them that we could obtain unshakable proof that ghosts exist."

Loki turned back to his desk. "No."

"Loki, please! We have a lot riding on this bet and we need you! Tony has a device that he says will register changes in temperature and record any sounds, but we need you to…"

"I said no."

"You know we won't stand a chance without you! Tony's device may work supplying the proof, but without you we won't know where and when to use it! We are all counting on you to help, I have told them…"

Loki turned back in shock. "YOU TOLD THEM?”

Thor winced when his brother shouted; Loki rarely raised his voice. "Yes, brother, I am sorry. But we would have no chance of winning this bet otherwise!"

Loki went white with rage. "You promised me you'd never tell! You PROMISED!"

“Loki, it is nothing to be ashamed of! I have no idea why you keep it such a secret. I know many that would be proud to possess such a gift as yours, and the others were fascinated to hear of your abilities. I do not understand why you insist on hiding it."

Loki felt his anger dissolve into helplessness. How to explain to his open, popular, confident brother that he didn't want or need another reason to be different, another reason to be whispered about and ridiculed.

It was bad enough that he was so different from everyone else in his golden, beautiful family. They all possessed an easy charm that made everyone love them and want to serve them. Even his father - a hard man with a reputation for being ruthless in business - was served by men that were unfailingly loyal.

But Loki? Loki always seemed to be on the fringe of the family, on the outskirts of friendships. He had acquaintances he discussed assignments with, and people that he would prefer to sit beside while eating lunch and reading, but no real friends. No one he felt he could talk to, no one to invite back to the house, as his mother was always urging him to do.

He supposed he should consider himself lucky. Thor always assumed that invitations given to him were also meant for his brother, so his group of friends were used to including Loki in their plans - even though Loki suspected they didn't like him much. But surely now they wouldn't like him at all. Surely they must be asking themselves if Loki could be any stranger…

Thor pulled Loki to his side and hugged his brother tightly. Thor could always tell where his brother's thoughts were leading him.

“They do not think you unnatural, brother. They think it a wondrous thing and look forward to seeing a demonstration of your great talents!"

Loki sighed but didn't pull away. "Of course they think me unnatural. Who would not?"

"I do not, for one. I would be proud to possess such a gift. To sense and talk to spirits - who would not wish for such an opportunity? And the things that you can know… it is truly incredible. That at times you can know what people are thinking about before they even speak! It is extraordinary!"

“It is little more than a parlor trick that can be done by any street magician."

"But it is not a parlor trick when you do it, is it, brother?"

Loki bit his lip. Thor was right, there was no trick involved. Loki just… knew things, somehow. Sometimes he knew what people were thinking and sometimes he sensed things. He always seemed to know when he and Thor needed to get home early because they were needed, or when they should stop and buy flowers for their mother because she was sad. Sometimes, he knew what they were having for dinner, even before they got home. He could 'smell’ it.

\----------

The first time it had happened was the day their grandfather died. That was when the family learned of his abilities.

They were sitting eating dinner, when Loki - who was only five at the time - suddenly went very white and dropped his fork. They all looked at him in surprise, and Frigga started to go to him when he said, very clearly, "Grandpa Bor wants to say goodbye."

Odin had frowned, "Loki, what are you saying?"

"Grandpa Bor. He is going away and he wants to say goodbye." Loki turned to his father, eyes wide. "Daddy, where's he going?”

Odin turned to Frigga with a sigh. "Do you know what the child is talking about?"

Frigga was beside Loki, a hand against his cheek. "I don't know, but he's ice cold. Perhaps he's coming down with something."

The phone rang and Odin threw down his fork. “I'll get it."

When he returned, several minutes later, he looked stunned and almost as white as Loki.

"Husband?"

He ignored his wife and poured himself a brandy. He drank it very quickly and immediately poured another. He stared at Loki and Frigga. “That was my father's assistant. She called to tell me that my father was rushed to the hospital about twenty minutes ago. It was his heart; he died instantly."

\----------

It had happened a few times since then with people they knew, and the looks he got were always the same - an odd mixture of horror and fear.

Loki hated it.

And now, all of Thor's friends would look at him the same way. Tony Stark, for one, would never leave him alone about it, and the others would know that he was a freak and a monster.

He supposed - since they knew already - that he may as well do it now. Things couldn't get any worse, and perhaps if he helped them to win the bet they might think more kindly of him. "What's the bet?"

"Well, you see, I was sure that we would win, so…"

Loki narrowed his eyes. "What's the bet, Thor?"

“That if we lose, we would do their homework assignments for the next six months."

Loki's jaw dropped. "You mean _I_ would do their homework for the next six months!"

Thor grinned sheepishly. "Well, Stark, Banner and Barton agreed as well."

"Yes, and you know what that means. Banner is too far too busy with his studies, Stark rarely hands in his own assignments on time, and as for Barton…"

“Now Loki, I know you do not care for him, but the Hawk has a great many talents. He is a great strategist and archer, and extremely skilled at getting into places that no one else that can get into."

Loki huffed. "And will any of those talents be useful when it comes to writing assignments?"

Thor had the decency to laugh. "Probably not!"

“And are you going to help with any of this?”

“In all honesty, it is doubtful that I would be able to contribute much.”

“Great. So I'm curious… what do we win?"

Thor's smile beamed. "Well, if you are not interested in honor alone…"

"I’m not."

“Then we win Volstagg's car."

Loki stared in shock. "His car?"

"Not the one he drives everyday, but the one he bought as a project to restore. The MG."

“The green one…"

"Yes." Thor sat back and watched Loki's face. For someone training to be an actor, and who spent so much time trying to hide what he was thinking, he could be very easy to read. Thor knew he had him. 

Loki had loved that car from the first moment he had seen it, when Volstagg had bought it for a pittance at an auction. Although Volstagg had been working on it, it was still in pretty bad shape, but Thor knew that he and his friends could restore it to its former glory. Thor wasn't going to tell Loki, but he had agreed to buy out the others so that he could give the car to his younger brother for his eighteenth birthday.

Thor could see that he had won. “So will you help us?"

"Do I get to use the car if we win?"

Thor grinned. "We may be able to work something out."

Loki wavered for a minute more before he nodded. "Alright then."

Thor pulled his brother into another bone-crushing hug. He knew how sensitive Loki was about what he could do, and he knew it would be hard for him. He wondered if he should tell Loki how proud he was of him, how much he valued him as a brother; he decided against it. Loki hated sentiment.

Thor picked up his phone and began to type while Loki closed his book. “So, what now?"

"Now, you gather your things. Tony and Bruce will be here in twenty minutes to pick us up."

"Gather my things?"

Thor affected a look of innocence. "Oh, did I forget to mention that we would be spending the next two nights in a haunted house?"

Loki felt his heart sink. "Thor, no. You can't be serious!"

"Oh, we are! It was Tony's idea."

"Of course it was."

"Clint knows of a place that is rumored to be haunted. It's even been on one of those ghost-hunting shows - I do not remember which one."

"Ghost Hunters?" Loki suggested.

Thor missed the sarcasm. "Perhaps! Anyway, we will go and camp out there until Sunday afternoon. By then, we should have enough evidence to win our bet."

Loki suddenly regretted agreeing to this. "Thor, even if I can do - you know, what I can do - how can we prove anything? Believing in ghosts is mostly subjective. How do they know we're not going to fake our results? People have been trying to prove the existence of ghosts for years. How will they know if the temperatures are falling because of ghosts, rather than a hole in the roof?"

"Because they know I would not lie and neither would my friends."

“Tony would." As would Clint and Natasha, Loki thought, but didn't add.

"While that is so, they can trust that Bruce and I will ensure that he cannot."

The last hope Loki had of escaping disappeared. Of course, everyone trusted Thor.

"Alright." He began to move around his room and gather the things he would want for two nights away.

"I have already packed our gear and told Mother we are going for one last camping trip before the cold weather begins."

"Good," Loki said, insincerely. There went the last hope he had, that their mother would step in and stop this madness. Still… he did love that car.

He threw his things into a bag and at the last minute, added the calculus book. Hopefully, they would encounter nothing more than a few creaking doors and icy passageways, and he could still get some studying done. He might even prevail upon Bruce to help him with a couple of the harder equations. Tony would be better, but was unlikely to want to help.

For a moment, he had a sudden desire to stay here, even with the hated calculus book. He shook his head; he had agreed to this, it was too late to turn back now. Before he could change his mind, he threw on a jacket and followed his brother out the door.

\----------

Loki climbed into Tony's spacious hybrid SUV and pulled his jacket closer. He was always colder than everybody else. Thor was loading their bags into the back and laughing with Bruce.

“So…"

Loki shot Tony an evil look, daring him to say something - anything.

Tony shrugged. "Okay, never mind."

They sat in silence for almost a minute. Loki was impressed that Tony could go that long without speaking. "Kinda cool, though. Can't believe you don't want anyone to know."

"Would you?"

"Well, ya don't see me hiding my many lights under a bush."

"Bushel."

"What now?"

“The expression is ‘hiding your light under a bushel’."

"Well, given the choice I know which I’d prefer!" He leered lasciviously and Loki rolled his eyes.

The others climbed in and Loki edged a little towards his brother's warmth. Thor smiled and moved closer. Loki could be so prickly sometimes that Thor valued the moments when his brother was physically close to him.

"We're meeting Clint and Natasha there."

"Fabulous," Loki muttered under his breath. He wasn't fond of either of them. He didn't really get along that well with any of Thor's friends, but he actively disliked Clint and Natasha. Whenever he was around them, they acted as though they were sharing a joke at his expense. He hated to think how they would behave now. 

\----------

Clint and Natasha were there already, leaning against Clint’s motorbike while they waited. Someone else was there and it took Loki a moment to recognize Steve Rodgers.

Loki was always a little uncomfortable around Steve. Steve was in a relationship with Bucky Barnes, a relationship that seemed perfectly normal and straightforward to everyone. Loki envied them. He was jealous of the easy way Steve had announced that he was gay and in a relationship, and that it was really nobody else's business.

Loki had never been in a relationship, but he knew he was gay. He just hadn't told anyone yet.

He knew he was being a coward; knew that Thor and his mother would accept it, and even Thor's friends might - they accepted Steve and Bucky, and everyone knew that Tony was bi. But it was one more thing that made Loki different, one more thing people would whisper about behind his back; one more thing he didn’t need. 

And he was terrified at the thought of telling his father. Although - since Odin never really seemed to approve of anything Loki did anyway - a part of him wondered why he was worried. It wasn't as though he could disappoint him more than he already had; but a larger part of him desperately wanted the approval that he never seemed to get, the love that was so easily given to Thor.

Loki didn't think any of Thor's friends knew about his sexuality, but he thought Steve and Bucky suspected - it was something about the way they acted around him. As if they wanted to be friends; as if they wanted him to know that he could talk to them. 

As if he could!

This weekend was just getting better and better.

\----------

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the car slide out of control. He grabbed the seat as Thor fell against him. The car skidded to a halt with a crunch.

"Damn!" Tony swore. "Everyone okay?"

Loki nodded as Thor pushed himself off him. "We’re okay. What happened?"

"We hit a patch of mud."

Bruce released his seatbelt. "I told you we were going too fast."

Tony grinned. "It's what I do."

"Yeah, well, now you're gonna be fixing your car. What did you hit, anyway?"

"A rock, I think."

They clambered out and went to inspect the damage. Loki's door was now blocked by a tree, so he waited for Thor to move so he could climb out that way.

And then something strange happened.

As Loki's feet hit the ground, he had a sudden sensation of weightlessness. His head swam and he momentarily lost his footing, one hand still clutching the door. He felt suddenly and inexplicably afraid.

A strong pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and he heard Steve say, "Whoa, there. I've got you. Are you hurt? Thor!"

Thor turned back quickly. "What's wrong?"

"He looked like he was about to pass out. Did he hit his head?"

"No, I don't think so. Loki?"

Loki's head cleared and his face flamed. Great way to begin the weekend, nearly fainting in Steve's arms. Great way to go unnoticed. “I’m fine. Sorry, I must have…" he thought quickly and used the best excuse he could think of, "I must have slipped on some mud."

Steve frowned. "Are you sure? It looked as though…"

"Yes, I’m sure. Thank you." He pulled away, head down.

They heard an expletive from the front of the car and Bruce's voice. “Told you."

Clint wandered over. "What is it?"

"Punctured a hole in the oil pan and the front end is stuck in the mud. It'll need to be towed."

“So we're stuck here until the tow truck gets here?"

Tony grinned. "Hey, we were planning on staying here anyway, what's the big deal?"

"I just don't like the idea of being stuck here, that's all."

Loki had to agree with Bruce. Being here was one thing - being stuck here was quite another.

Thor felt differently. "It is a good thing! This way we will be able to focus on our task and not be running back and forth for beer!"

Tony swore again. "Only you could think that's a good thing. Dammit! How much beer did the rest of you bring?"

Clint hefted his bag, "I got two six packs."

“Some people say twelve," Loki muttered under his breath, only to feel a sharp kick on his ankle from Thor. He felt a sudden, unreasoning rush of hatred and anger and gasped in shock.

Thor shook his head and said in a low voice, "I didn't kick you that hard, brother. What is wrong with you today?" In a louder voice, he said, "I brought ten!"

Natasha raised an eyebrow. “Ten?"

"I got thirsty while we waited for our ride."

“Six pack," offered Bruce, holding it up. “Steve?"

Steve grinned and held up a thermos. "I brought hot chocolate and fixings for s’mores."

Loki couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Tony's face.

"Yeah, go ahead and laugh, Bambi. You bring anything to drink?"

Thor answered for him. “Tony, he's seventeen - of course he didn't! Besides, I only told him twenty minutes before we left."

"Didn't want to give him time to say no, huh? Smart. Didn't think you had it in you, Point Break. I’m impressed."

"You don't think I can be smart?"

"I don't think you can be sneaky. Not really your forte."

Steve shook his head. “Tony, only you can make that sound like a bad thing. Anyway, why would Loki say no? Didn't you want to come?"

Tony snapped his fingers. "Oh, that's right! You weren't there when Thor told us about Madame Zelda here."

"Madame Who?"

Loki's face flushed again and Thor’s voice carried a warning note. “Stark!"

Tony held up his hands, "Alright, fine. You want to explain?"

Loki pretended to dig for something in his bag as Thor explained. Steve stared for a few minutes but said nothing further.

"Anyway, what's the football team's great American captain doing out here on an adventure like this? Wouldn't have thought this was your sort of thing."

Steve shrugged. "Clint invited me. You're right, Tony, I don't believe in this sort of thing - sorry, Loki," he added, and Loki flushed even harder. "But Bucky was visiting his grandparents for the weekend and I thought it would be nice to get in one last camping trip before winter."

Bruce clapped him on the shoulder. "Glad you could make it." He looked around. "How d’you get here? I don't see your bike."

"No, it's in the shop. Bucky dropped me off. Thought I could get a ride back with you guys." He grimaced. "Apparently, not one of my better ideas."

"Don't worry, I'll call someone tomorrow to take care of it. It'll be fine by Sunday."

Tony clapped his hands together. "Okay, so we’re doing this? Clint, you're up!"

Clint smiled lazily and held out a hand to Natasha. Everyone hefted their bags and followed.

They came to a large, wrought iron gate. Clint dropped his bag on the floor and, with enviable ease, climbed the crumbling wall beside it until he dropped to the other side. He lifted the iron bars holding the gate closed and the others trooped in.

\----------

Loki was the last one in and, as he stepped over the threshold, felt the same lightheaded feeling he had before. This time, though, there was something different - something... other.

He could hear a faint voice speaking to him. He tried to make out what it was saying, before it was drowned out by a louder voice.

"..ki! Loki!"

Someone was shaking his arm. Thor.

He looked around. They were all staring at him and he was… he was standing on the threshold, frozen in place and clutching the gate so tightly that he noticed a thin trickle of blood running down from his palm.

“Loki! Lo…"

"Thor?" His voice sounded odd, far away and alien. He tried again. "Thor? What happened?" He let go of the gate and felt himself sway forward. Thor grabbed him and lowered him to the ground. 

"Put your head between your knees," Bruce said.

He did, and began to feel clearer. "What happened?"

Tony this time. "Hoping you could tell us, Bambi. One minute your following us in, the next you're you're frozen in place like one of those fainting goats. Feel better?"

Loki began to nod before he thought better of it. He kept his head down, but he could feel them all staring at him.

Steve's voice next. "He was unsteady earlier, by the car. Maybe he got hurt when you crashed."

He sensed Bruce in front of him. "Loki, can you look up?"

Loki did so and Bruce stretched out a hand and reached for his eye. Loki flinched back, but Bruce stopped him. "It's okay, I just want to see if you have a concussion."

Loki followed his finger and answered his questions, coming back to himself slowly.

Thor kept his hand on Loki's shoulder the whole time. “Well? What's wrong?"

"I think he has a slight concussion; his responses are a little off. I think he'll be okay if we just get him somewhere he can rest for a bit. Maybe Steve's right and he banged his head or something."

"I didn't."

Silence.

"I didn't," he reiterated.

"It might have happened so quickly you don't remember."

He opened his mouth to deny it and then said, "Could it?"

Tony knelt beside him. "Know any other reason why you keep fainting? Any chance you're pregnant?"

Loki heard Clint give a sharp bark of laughter. 

Thor bit his lip. "Perhaps I should take him back. Get him checked out at a hospital."

"Any idea how you're gonna do that, champ? ’Cause unless you recently developed the ability to fly, we don't really have a lot of options when it comes to transportation. I don't think he’d do real well on the back of Clint's bike, do you?"

It was rare for Thor to swear but he did so now. 

Loki took a deep breath and let it go. He felt his head clear a little more. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. Let's just…" He swallowed, "Let's move. I don't want to sit here all night, it's cold."

Tony held out a hand. "Come on, Rudolph. Let's get you inside where you can lie down."

Loki scowled. "Rudolph is a reindeer, not a goat."

"Potayto, potahto. Up you get."

Thor and Tony helped him up, and Thor stayed at his side as they walked along the overgrown driveway.

He didn't know why he felt so odd. Perhaps Bruce was right, he must have hit his head.

\----------

They stopped when the house rounded into view.

It was a large, Victorian mansion built in a disordered mixture of architectural styles, mostly gothic. The result was a grotesque looming structure.

Tony was the first to break the silence. "Pretty. You sure it's empty? Seems to me this little gem would have been snatched up instantly."

Bruce stood beside him and gaped at it. "Are those gargoyles? Don't see many of them around here."

Steve shot a look at Loki. "Loki, you okay?"

Loki was staring at the house, his face pale and his eyes wide. Steve noticed he was trembling. 

Thor answered for his brother. "I think we should get him inside, he's shivering."

"No."

They all turned to him in surprise. 

"Loki?"

"I don't want… don't want to… Thor, don't…" he clutched his brother's jacket as his eyes rolled in his head and he fell to the ground.

"Loki!"

“Shit! Bruce, what do we do?"

"I don't know!" Bruce ran his hands through his hair. "Let's get him inside. Clint, how hard is it to get in there?"

Natasha pushed him lightly aside. "We checked it out a few days ago, it’ll just take me a few minutes to pick the lock. Come on."

She went on ahead while the others slowly followed, Thor carrying his brother. When she reached the front door, she frowned.

Clint appeared at her shoulder. “Something wrong?"

Natasha spoke quietly to him. "You remember earlier, when we were here? We both examined the door and I said I could pick the lock…"

"But we decided to wait for the others and all go in together… yeah, so? Can’t you do it?"

"That’s not the problem. The door's unlocked."

Clint stared at her in shock. "But we tried it…"

"Yes."

"And it was locked…"

She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Steve. "Will it take much longer? We really should get Loki inside."

Natasha and Clint exchanged a look and Natasha threw a glance to Thor and Loki. It was a puzzle, but Steve was right; Loki was the priority.

"No trouble at all, let's go in."

\----------

Natasha walked in first with Clint close behind, both of them looking left and right, assessing their surroundings.

Natasha opened the first door they came to, and found what must have once been the parlor. "In here, guys."

An old, dusty sofa stood in the middle of the room and Thor laid his brother down. Bruce bent over to examine Loki as his eyes began to flutter.

"Will you all stop talking? It's so loud…" Loki's voice was slurred and his eyes opened to slits.

"No one's talking but you, Rudolph."

Loki frowned, his eyes still half closed. "No, you're all talking at once and I can't hear any of you properly. Stop it. Hurts."

"Loki, look at me. Nobody's saying anything."

Loki seemed to force his eyes open. "Bruce?" He began to look around him and tried to push himself up. "Where are we?"

“Stay where you are. We're in the house, you fainted."

What little color Loki had drained from his face and Bruce pushed him back down. “Probably best if you lie still."

Bruce rummaged in his bag and pulled out a bottle of water. "Here, take a drink."

Loki raised a shaking hand but Thor took the bottle and held it to Loki’s lips. "Be still, brother. Just let me help."

The water helped. Loki felt his head beginning to clear and his color began to return. He began to sit up again, only to feel Bruce's hand against his chest. "Just give it a little longer, okay?"

Loki looked for Thor. "Thor, I don't want to be here... Please, Thor, I want to leave!"

Thor knelt beside him looking distraught. "We can't leave yet, brother, we have no transportation."

"We can walk…"

"Loki, we are miles away from anywhere and you've fainted twice since we left the car. You can't walk anywhere right now."

"I want to go… Please, Thor."

Thor clasped his brother's cold hand. "As soon as we can, Loki, I promise you. For now, you should rest."

Tony was wandering around the room holding up his phone. "Anyone got a signal?"

There was a general bustle as everyone pulled out their cellphones. "Nothing."

"Me either."

"Nope."

Thor searched around for a distraction to keep his brother in place. “So, Clint,,, what's the deal with this place?"

Clint grinned. “There've been rumors about it for years. House used to belong to one of those creepy cults - ‘The Children of Thanos’. Guy was a real scumbag, used to prey on children that were unhappy at home - runaways, kids like that. At first, it seemed pretty harmless, but then he started to get this unhealthy obsession with death - got this idea death was a woman and started to worship her. He began… making sacrifices."

“Sacrifices? You mean black chickens, stuff like that?"

"At first. Then he began to demand more. People started to go missing and the police got involved, but no one would talk and they couldn't find any leads. Then they found one of his people - a man named Drax - dead in the woods near the house. He'd been stoned to death. Everyone suspected Thanos, but again, no evidence. They started to think he had some sort of Manson thing going on. Then they found another one - Mantis, her name was - dead in the park; she'd been cut to ribbons. But this time, they hadn’t been so careful; there was a witness. Local guy, out late walking his dog. Said he’d seen a couple of Thanos’ people walking from the crime scene covered in blood - a guy called Ebony Maw and one of Thanos’ adopted daughters, Nebula…"

"Love the names,” interrupted Tony. Natasha grinned at him.

Clint continued as if he hadn't heard, "Anyway, the police pulled them in for questioning. They both denied everything, but the cops found enough evidence to charge Nebula. She ended up going to a maximum security hospital for the criminally insane." He looked around at the others and gave an evil grin. “She was one of the lucky ones."

Thor frowned. "What happened next?"

"Well, once the police had Nebula, Thanos realized it would give them an excuse to come in and tear the place apart. He decided to act quickly. He told everyone to gather in the meeting room where they knelt before Thanos, ready to offer the ultimate sacrifice. While Ebony Maw preached to them, two of his closest followers went around the room and snapped the necks of the disciples as they knelt before him."

Tony sat up straight. "Wait, you're saying they just sat there and waited for someone to murder them?"

"No, they sat there and waited to be sacrificed."

Bruce gave a low whistle. "All of them? No one tried to get away?"

"A few of them did; only a couple succeeded. Most of them were captured - they were the first to be killed. One of them was another one of Thanos' adopted daughters, Gamora. He caught up with her on the roof and threw her down."

"And I thought I had daddy issues. Turns out Howard wasn't the worst after all."

Bruce gave a grimace. "Not even close." He turned to Clint. "How come you know so much about this place anyway?"

Clint shrugged sheepishly. "Used to live near here and was always fascinated. I've probably read everything that's ever been written about it. I guess I find it hard to believe anyone would let a person mess with their heads like that."

Thor stood up. "My friends, I think I will just step outside for a moment."

Tony grinned. “Those two beers catching up with you, huh?"

Loki shifted from where he was lying on the couch. "I'll come with you." As he saw Thor about to speak, he said, "I want some air."

Natasha stepped forward. "I'll come too." Seeing their looks, she smiled. "Don't worry, I won't peek. I want to see if my phone gets a signal outside."

Steve nodded. "Good idea, but try not to get too far away from each other, okay?"

"Geez, mom, give the kids some space, will ya?"

"I’m serious, Tony. If that guy was as crazy as he sounds, who knows what might be lying around this place. I know cult leaders in the past have used traps to protect the grounds, so stay close and stay sharp."

Natasha acknowledged his words with a sharp nod of her head while Thor held out a hand to his brother. Loki looked at it warily for a few seconds, before deciding to take it and let Thor help him outside.

\----------

The others watched them go. 

They were quiet for a few minutes, until the silence was predictably broken by Tony. “So, you really think this place is haunted?"

Clint shrugged. "Don't really believe in all that stuff to be honest, but if any place is going to be, I figure it's this place."

“So why'd ya come if you don't believe it?"

Clint raised an eyebrow. “Seemed like a good idea at the time?"

Tony chuckled. "What about you, Bruce? Believe in this stuff?"

Bruce looked a little embarrassed. "I guess. I mean, I’m a scientist. I’m open to new ideas." 

Natasha came back in. "No signal anywhere."

"Where’re the others?"

"Loki's sitting on the wall waiting for Thor."

“So what about you, Red?"

"What about me?"

"Do you," Tony held up his fingers in air quotes, "’want to believe’?"

"I've seen things I can't explain. You?"

"Hey, you know me. I’m open to anything."

Clint grinned. "Yeah, we've all heard the stories." They heard the sound of voices outside the window and Clint lowered his voice. “Speaking of which, what does everyone think about our psychic friend?"

Steve frowned. "I think we can guess what you think."

"Yeah, what've you got against the kid?"

"You all know what he's like."

Bruce shook his head. "I think he's just a little shy."

“Shy? He's a drama major - and a drama queen, if you ask me."

"Hey!" Steve looked shocked.

"I didn't mean it like that! But you know how he is. He loves the attention and he loves to play mind games. If you ask me, he's just doing everything he can to make this weekend all about him."

"Clint, for all we know he might have been hurt in the accident."

"Accident! It was a bump. No one else was hurt, were they?"

Natasha nodded. "Bruce, you did say you couldn't find any injuries."

"I’m not a doctor yet! Just because I couldn't find anything doesn't mean there isn't something wrong. It's not like I could do scans or anything…" he broke off as the brothers returned to the room. "How are you feeling, Loki?"

Loki blushed. "Better, thank you."

"Y’know, I was thinking maybe my phone could pick up a signal upstairs. Thought I might go and see if there's better reception up there."

Steve put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "No one's going anywhere just yet."

"Worried about me? Scared I'll meet things that go bump in the night?"

"Worried that you’ll go bump in the house. Have you taken a look at this place? I don't think anyone should wander off on their own until we've checked to see if the place is structurally sound. We've got enough on our hands with Loki, we don't need you falling through the floor as well."

Loki winced at the words ‘we've got enough on our hands with Loki’. Yep, the weekend just kept on getting better and better. He forced a smile on his face. "I'm feeling much better now."

"You still shouldn't be moving around too much."

"Bruce, I am fine, I assure you."

"You fainted twice."

"I fainted once. And I missed dinner, possibly that was the problem."

Bruce nodded and the set of his shoulders relaxed just a little. "Yeah… that could explain it."

Thor wasn't as easy to convince. "You are always missing meals. You do not usually faint."

Loki shrugged. "I usually manage a snack or a can of soda to keep me going. In fact, I do feel a little dehydrated. Perhaps it is that more than anything else."

Steve looked thoughtful. "I have seen guys faint during training if they haven't been drinking enough."

Loki's grin grew wider. “See? Trust me, I am fine now. The water helped."

"Okay… but drink some more, just to be sure, alright? Look, I have a soda here - maybe the sugar will help."

"Alright." He held out a hand and Bruce passed him a can. “Thank you."

Clint rolled his eyes. He should have known that there was nothing really wrong and that Loki was making a fuss over nothing. He stood up decisively. "Fine, so now that's been taken care of, shall we look around and get on with this? Or are we going to sit here talking all night?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah, I want to look around the place, see where we can set up our stuff. You guys coming?"

Steve turned to Thor. "I can stay with Loki if you’d like to go with them."

Loki stood, digging his fingernails into his palms to keep himself grounded. "Not at all, I’m as eager as the rest of you to investigate further." There was no way he was going to ruin the whole weekend for all of them.

"Are you sure?"

"Quite sure, Steve. Thank you."

Thor smiled for the first time since they'd arrived. "If my brother is ready to explore, then so am I. Lead the way, Hawk!"

Natasha stepped in front. "Actually, I think I'll lead the way. Steve's right about this place; it might be wiser to have someone a little lighter going first."

Clint grinned. "Are you saying I’m fat?" He turned to the others, "First time I saw her, she was on a dance floor - you wouldn't believe how she can move. She's really light on her feet; that's why I call her my spider!"

The others saw her blush at the compliment. She gave a laugh and said, “Then come hither, pretty little flies!"

Loki saw that the others were a little bemused, but smiled anyway and followed her out of the room. Thor and Steve were last, following behind Loki in case he should need their help again. He was grateful for their solicitude, but already felt self-conscious enough. He didn't know why he had fainted - he was sure he hadn't hit his head, and Thor was right, he was used to skipping meals - but he did feel better now.

Except for the buzzing in his head. 

He didn't want to say anything, but it felt as though he was trying to hear a radio that was playing very quietly in the background.

He tried to think about something else, and thought of Natasha's words - ‘come hither, pretty little flies!’. Loki recognized them, even if no one else did. It was a poem, an old one. He tried to remember it better and frowned in thought. 

‘Will you walk into my parlour, said a Spider to a Fly; 'tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy. The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, and I have many pretty things to shew when you get there. Oh, no, no! said the little Fly; to ask me is in vain…’ 

He frowned. _'To ask me is in vain... ‘_ What came next? He couldn't remember the last line. For some reason, he felt it was important.

\----------

Natasha hesitated briefly in the hall before turning to the staircase. "Let's start upstairs. That way, we can check our phones while we're there."

The staircase creaked a little - particularly under the weight of Steve and Thor - but it seemed structurally sound. The house was actually in fairly good condition, for having been left unattended for so long. There was peeling paper on the walls and a lot of damp, but there were pieces of furniture that stood against the walls and made the place feel as if it had just been inhabited.

Natasha stroked a wooden table that stood at the top of the stairs. "I’m surprised no one has taken anything from here. This is mahogany."

Clint knelt down and ran his hand over the intricately carved legs. "Yeah, it's beautiful."

Tony moved past them. "Yeah, it's great. Think it'll fit on the back of your bike?"

"I could come back later with a truck."

Steve frowned. “That's stealing."

Natasha shook her head. "From who? It seems a shame, to leave these things here to rot."

Bruce agreed. "Doesn't look like anyone cares about it."

Tony looked around, bored by the discussion. “So, where do we start? Hey, where's Loki?"

The others looked around in surprise. They hadn't noticed him slip away.

Thor walked up and down the long hallway. "Loki! Loki!"

"Hey, down here!" Tony hurried down to an open door. Loki was inside, just standing in the middle of the room. "Whatcha doin’, kid?"

Loki’s voice sounded dreamy and far away. “This is Nebula's room. You’d like her, she likes to build things. She wants to build a robot one day."

Tony looked around. The room was indeed littered with mechanical parts, but he was more concerned with the way Loki was speaking. "What's with the use of present tense?"

Loki made a small ‘hum’ but at that moment, there was a noise and the others appeared at the door. 

"Hey, I thought we agreed not to wander off on our own?"

"Doesn't really matter, though, does it? House seems sturdy enough, I don't think anyone's going to fall through the floor or anything." Clint went further into the room. "Wow. I can't believe all this stuff is still here."

Bruce picked up a bundle of wires. "Looks like someone was into robotics."

"Nebula," Tony said.

"Huh?"

"Loki said it was," ( _is_ , he thought, Loki said _is_ ), "Nebula's room."

Loki turned around and frowned, but before he could speak Natasha said, "Yes, it's written on the door." She pointed.

Tony wondered how he could have missed the small name plaque. Loki must have noticed and been trying to mess with him!

Thor folded his arms. "I agree with Steve. We should stay together. We are here with a purpose and we achieve nothing if we keep wandering off."

"Yeah, the big guy's right. Let's keep exploring."

The room opposite contained a large CD collection and the group started to peruse the musical selection. Natasha picked up a picture. "I wonder who this is."

Clint took it from her. “That's Gamora, Thanos’ other daughter."

“The one he threw from the roof?"

"Yep."

“She was pretty."

The others came to look. The picture was of a couple, standing at the door of a nightclub. The man stood under the streetlights, but Gamora was closer to the open door. The artificial lights gave her skin a greenish glow.

Tony pointed to the man. "Is that Peter Quill?"

The others looked at him blankly. "You know, Starlord? He had that one hit wonder, don't you remember?"

Bruce snapped his fingers. "Yeah, that's where I know him from! The song was ‘Rocket Racoon’. Remember the chorus?"

Steve groaned. "How can you forget it? "I am Groot, I am Groot". Worst earworm ever."

"IMI," Tony interjected. "Involuntary musical imagery. Not to be confused with palinacousis, or auditory hallucinations."

Loki stilled. "Auditory hallucinations?"

It was Bruce that answered him. "Yeah. Continuing to hear a sound after the physical noise has disappeared. It's often associated with lesions of the temporal lobe. How do you know about palinacousis?"

"Couldn't sleep. It's amazing what you learn when you have insomnia and follow all the links on Wikipedia. How do you know about it? Don't imagine it came up in your classes."

Bruce grinned sheepishly. "It's amazing what you learn when you have insomnia and follow all the links on Wikipedia," he repeated.

Loki didn’t hear their exchange; his mind was racing. He had been hearing things since they’d arrived, and now perhaps he had an explanation. He didn't know where the temporal lobe was, but it made sense - he must have hit his head after all, and was just hearing things because of it. He felt oddly relieved. If he had hit his head, then it was simply a medical problem that could be fixed and not… something else. Nevertheless, he decided not to say anything. He’d already caused enough trouble, he didn't want Thor to worry about him even more. He began to relax.

There was nothing very exciting in the other rooms they investigated. Most of them looked like dorm rooms, with two or three beds in each.

They reached a door at the end of the corridor. Tony turned the handle. "Locked."

Natasha stepped forward. "Allow me." She pulled out a tool and began to fiddle with the lock. 

Clint stood back and watched her work. “Don't worry, she can get into anything.”

After a few minutes, they begin to fidget impatiently. Clint cleared his throat. “Hey Tasha, you’re letting me down here!”

She stepped back. “I’ve unlocked it, but I can’t get it open. It’s stuck.” 

“Here, let me try.” Thor kicked at the door but it didn't move. He grunted with the pain of impact. 

Tony tried the handle. The door remained stubbornly closed. “Well, I guess that’s that. It only goes up to the roof anyway.”

They began to walk away. 

Some impulse made Loki walk towards the door and reach out for the handle. The door opened with a creak. The others turned to look in surprise.

"How’d you get it open?" Clint demanded.

"It just opened." Loki began to walk up the narrow, winding staircase to the roof. The door at the top opened easily. The others quickly followed.

“The door was stuck!" Natasha folded her arms angrily.

Tony shrugged. "It couldn't have been."

Steve put a hand on her shoulder. "It must have jarred loose when Thor hit it."

She opened her mouth to protest and then closed it again. After all, what else could it have been?

Loki walked over to the edge of the roof and stood staring down at the ground below. Thor hurried beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Brother, I would feel more comfortable if you did not stand so close to the edge."

Loki didn't move.

"Brother…"

"He threw her from here." He pointed a finger. “She landed there." 

Thor stiffened. He recognized the tone of voice. "Friends…"

"He thought there should be more blood."

Everyone turned and began to walk over to the brothers. They could hear Loki's voice, low and distant.

"He was sorry that he had to do it… he didn't want to. She made him. She didn't believe in him anymore."

Tony stared. "What the…"

“Ssh!"

“She was going to leave him. She wanted to marry Peter, they were going to run away together; she was going to sing in the band. When she saw what her father was planning, she tried to run… she… she…"

Loki felt a sharp spike of pain in his head and sharp fingers gripped his shoulders. "Thor?"

"Loki?"

Everybody was looking at him. "What happened?"

Thor's face broke into a huge grin. "You saw something!"

\----------

Tony was talking at a mile a minute as they walked back down the stairs. Clint and Natasha followed behind them. 

Under her breath, Natasha asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"I think I heard a lot of stuff he could have already known or guessed."

"You think he's heard about what happened here?"

Clint shrugged. "It's fairly common knowledge. I’m surprised no one else here has heard of it."

"What about the other stuff?"

"It's just a lot of guesses based on what we already know. She tried to run and Thanos was sorry he killed her. Doesn't take a physic to figure that out."

“So, I say we put one monitor on the roof and another in the hallway between the bedrooms…"

Loki listened to Tony with half an ear. In truth, he was worried. He had never been so deep into a vision before. He honestly hadn't remembered saying anything to Thor. He had gone up to the roof and then he had seen them, arguing. And then… it wasn't like overhearing them, it was more like being in their heads. He had felt what both of them were thinking and feeling; he could still feel it now.

He interrupted Tony. "Didn't you say you had beer?"

Tony broke into a huge grin. “See, I knew I liked you! Rudolph's right, let's open some of those beers!"

Thor grimaced but only said, “Very well, but just one, Loki. And you will eat something first. I brought some chips, you can have those."

Loki eyed him warily. "Please, Thor, tell me you packed more than chips for two nights away."

"I did!" He smiled proudly. “I made sandwiches!”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “How many?”

“Eight.”

"Thor, you will have eaten all of those before the night is over. Is that all you have?"

Thor looked crestfallen. "I thought that would be enough."

"Do you even know how much you eat?"

Steve decided to intervene. “Relax, I brought plenty of food for all of us. I assume the rest of you brought something?"

They returned to the parlor and all pulled out the food they had. Even Thor was satisfied by the amount.

Bruce looked at Tony's contribution. "I can't believe you remembered to bring food." He leaned forward and began to open containers. "It even looks edible."

"Yeah, I told Jarvis we were going camping and he put it together."

Thor pulled two sandwiches from their wrapping. “Then we have plenty! Here, Loki, eat these now before we explore any further."

Loki made a face but took the sandwich. He took a bite and grimaced. “Mmm, a thin smear of peanut butter with half an inch of jam on soggy bread. My favorite.”

Thor ignored him but Tony grinned. "Okay, while he's eating, we may as well start setting up the equipment." Tony began to unpack his equipment. "These are easy enough to install. We just need to put them in place and switch ’em on."

Clint took one. "I'll take it to the roof. Does it need to be anywhere particular?"

"Nah, they're fairly weather resistant. I know, put it where Loki was standing. I've got a good feeling about that spot."

Clint rolled his eyes but nodded. He turned to Natasha. “Wanna come?” 

She nodded. Bruce stood up as well. “I’ll come too.” He knew Clint and Natasha could probably deal with anything perfectly well on their own, but he had been unnerved by Loki’s reaction to the roof.

Natasha eyed him thoughtfully but followed him out.

"And we can put this one in the hallway between the bedrooms."

Steve took it and examined it. "How does it switch on?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Seriously? Flip this switch here."

"Okay."

Thor jumped up. "I will accompany you!"

Thor shot a quick glance at Loki and Loki smiled back at him. Although many people underestimated Thor, he could be very intuitive sometimes. Loki had a feeling that his brother also disliked this house and didn't like to think of anyone being alone in it.

\----------

While Loki watched Thor, Tony watched Loki. For two brothers that rarely seemed to agree about anything, the love between them was plain to see. Tony envied them that. He’d often wished for a brother. His parents spent so much time away from home that he sometimes wondered why they’d bothered to have children in the first place. Tony hated cliches, particularly that of the ‘poor little rich boy’, but he was often lonely. 

He heard himself say, "You're brother's really proud of you, you know."

Loki looked disbelieving.

"He is. Talks about you all the time, says you're gonna be this huge Hollywood star one day."

Loki blushed, unable to think of a response.

"Have you always been able to do that?" Tony gave a wave to encompass the house.

"Yes, I suppose so." Seeing Tony was hoping for more, and not sensing any ridicule, he added, "Thor told you about our grandfather?"

Tony nodded.

'That happened when I was five. I don't remember much before then, but… I’d always had imaginary friends that only I could see. When I saw Grandpa Bor, it didn't feel wrong. I mean, it was strange to see Grandpa Bor, but the feeling… that was familiar. So I suppose I've always had the ability."

"Must be hard sometimes."

"Yes. After that first time, my father… he…" Loki trailed off.

"He didn't get it, huh?"

Loki supposed that was as good a way to put it as any. "No, he didn't." From that time, he had always seemed a little wary of Loki, a little distrustful.

"Yeah, well, fathers are easy to disappoint. Sorry Bambi, but that's where you stop being unique."

Loki eyes drifted to the stairs and Tony suddenly thought of how it would be to be Loki, always in the shadow of Thor - golden Thor, popular Thor, the one that everybody loved. Maybe it wasn't so bad to be an only child after all. How much worse to be constantly faced with perfection, when you were so different. Dark, where Thor was golden, thin where Thor was muscular, quiet where Thor was gregarious and Thor, so popular with the girls, whereas Loki…

Tony had never seen Loki with a girlfriend. Friends who were girls, yes - although not since Sigyn had moved away. But ‘date night’ girlfriends? No.

Tony wasn’t as oblivious as everyone seemed to think. He’d noticed how Steve and Bucky treated Loki, and he’d seen how uncomfortable Loki was in their company. He guessed Loki wasn’t ready to give everyone - including that asshole father of his - another reason to mark him as different, but if Loki didn’t start coming to terms with who he was, he was going to implode.

Loki wondered why Tony was staring at him that way. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you staring at me?”

Tony smiled. “There are worse things to stare at, Bambi.”

Loki wasn’t sure what to make of that answer. “Why do you always call me ‘Bambi’?”

“I have nicknames for everyone.”

“Yes, but I understand the others. ‘Point Break’, ‘Red’, ‘Captain America’; but I don’t know why you call me ‘Bambi’.”

Ignoring the voice in his head that warned him that this was Thor’s baby brother, Tony walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Loki. “It’s because you always make me think of him in that movie. Uncertain, a little shy; when I first met you, you were kind of gawky, with those long, slim legs of yours. Add those big, innocent eyes and… well. Bambi.”

Loki sat frozen in place, not sure if Tony was laughing at him, teasing him. Tony raised his hand and ran a thumb over Loki’s cheek. “You really do have beautiful eyes, you know that, right?”

Minutely, Loki shook his head. Tony suddenly realized how still Loki was, how rigid. “Oh, hey, sorry! Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. We okay?” Tony stood up and moved back to the other seat.

Loki was staring at him as if he had grown two heads. After a few moments, he said, “I’ve never… I mean, I don’t… I haven’t…”

Tony held up his hands. “Woah, relax, okay? You don’t have to do or say anything. If I went too far, just say so and I’ll apologize.” He offered a half smile. “Do I need to apologize?”

Loki looked at him for a long moment and then blushed. “No. You don’t need to apologize.”

“Good.” He cast around for a change of subject. “Hey, what say we start checking out what's on this floor? We still have a couple of boxes to set up and we really should put one down here. You can tell me the best place for it!"

Loki didn't want to, but nor did he want to sit in that room on his own, especially now that he felt even more unsettled. "Why not?" he said, thinking of about a hundred reasons.

\----------

They walked into the hall just as the others were getting back.

"All set up?"

"Yep," Clint answered. 

“We were just going to look around down here - wanna join us?”

As he spoke, Steve came down the stairs with Thor a few steps behind. "I thought we agreed to investigate together."

"Yeah, well, we thought we’d get a head start."

They walked through a dining room and then headed to the kitchen. Natasha opened a cupboard at random. "I just can't believe all this stuff is still here!"

She picked up an untouched box of Twinkies. "Look at this! I can just about understand the locks keeping people out, but how do they not even have mice? Or cockroaches?"

Tony grinned. “Even they won’t eat Twinkies. They’re probably still good, wanna try ’em?"

Natasha shuddered and put it back. The thought of eating anything that came from this house revolted her.

The next door they opened led on to a large, empty room.

This time, Loki was aware of the wave of sensation that rushed over him. He gasped. Thor put a hand on his shoulder. He was ice cold. 

"It was here."

"What was?"

The others watched curiously.

“This was where they gathered." Loki stepped into the room.

The room was suddenly bright with light - candlelight. People sat in rows, their eyes turned towards their leader.

Loki turned to look at him too.

And Thanos turned to look at Loki.

\----------

Loki froze in place as his eyes locked with Thanos.

"Well, what do we have here?"

A long, thin man appeared at his side. Somehow Loki knew it was Ebony Maw. "Perhaps another acolyte. Perhaps another sacrifice."

Loki watched in fascination as Maw stepped from his master's side and walked towards him. His feet were frozen in place. He couldn't move as the man reached out one long tapered finger and drew it across Loki's face…

Loki drew in a breath and felt himself shudder. His blood turned to ice as Thanos began to walk towards him.

A sharp slap across his face recalled him to the present.

"Loki?"

Loki saw everyone staring at him. Clint stood beside him, looking pleased with himself. He had no doubt that the archer had slapped him, but Loki couldn't find it in himself to mind.

"You saw something, didn't you?" Tony was practically bouncing.

"Yes…" His voice was a whisper. He tried to make it louder. "Yes. This was the meeting room. This was where they met on the last night."

Bruce's eyes were wide. "You saw them?"

Loki nodded. His mouth was dry.

He heard a clatter from behind him. "Okay, definitely setting up a machine in here…"

Steve put a hand on Loki's shoulder. “Sorry about the slap," he grimaced in Clint's direction. "You weren't answering and you seemed to be having trouble breathing."

"It's fine. I’m fine," he answered, although he wasn't really sure. He looked around him; the room was empty.

Steve looked unconvinced. "Well, we've seen everything now anyway. Let's go and get something to eat."

\----------

They all felt happier after they had eaten and Tony had passed around the beers. Tony had brought along a bottle of whiskey he had stolen from his father's study and they all drank a shot, except for Loki - Thor wouldn't allow it.

Loki was secretly rather relieved. He did not want to refuse the drink and appear even more childish than they already thought him, but he wasn't used to alcohol and the beer was already making him feel light-headed. He didn't like the sensation; he liked to be in control, especially here, in this place.

But the alcohol was definitely having an effect on Tony.

"Hey!" he shouted, making them all jump. He slammed his glass down, sloshing it over the floor. "We should tell ghost stories. Like we're really camping."

Steve shook his head. "We're not really camping. We're sitting in a haunted house. I don't think ghost stories are a good idea."

"Aw, c’mon! It'll be fun! Brucey baby, what about it?"

Bruce shrugged. "I don't really know any. Sorry."

"Clint, Tasha, whaddabout it?"

Clint saw the look of discomfort on Loki's face and grinned. “Sure, I know a few. And Tasha has some great ones!"

Thor had also seen Loki's nervousness. In a low tone, he asked, "Brother, are you alright with this? If you would rather not, just tell me and I will stop them."

Loki felt a wave of resigned affection for his brother. His brother would happily stand up and declare that Loki didn't want to hear any of their campfire tales, and Loki would feel thoroughly humiliated. "It's fine, I don't mind."

"You looked as though you would rather not."

Loki couldn't help but smile at his brother's care of him. In an equally low tone, he lied, "It's the beer. I don't think I like it but there's nowhere that I can pour it away."

Thor, understanding his dilemma, quickly swapped his empty bottle for Loki's half full one. He thought Bruce may have seen, but knew that Bruce wouldn't say anything.

“So, are we doing this?" Clint challenged.

Despite the reassurance, Thor sidled closer to his brother and put an arm around him. He met Clint's eyes. "Certainly, Hawk. Tell your tale!"

It actually wasn't that bad. It was more silly than scary, like an excerpt from Tales from the Crypt - in fact, Loki made a mental note to look it up when he got home.

Natasha's story was better, and Loki was glad of his brother's arm. He wasn't usually so nervous, but the house was getting to him.

Tony's story was incomprehensible, because he kept forgetting things and having to go back  
and fill in details he'd forgotten. Halfway through, he gave up and gestured to Bruce that it was his turn.

Bruce tried his best, but the story wasn't very scary, and it was definitely the plot of a movie. They all tried to pretend they hadn't noticed; Bruce was constantly studying to get his medical degree and when he wasn't studying, he was working to pay for his school supplies. Loki was surprised Bruce had seen any movies at all.

Thor could feel Loki relaxing as the evening went by, so when Bruce called on him to tell his story, he motioned to Loki. "No, my friends. I have no talent for story-telling. If you want to hear a great tale, then you should ask my brother."

Loki stiffened. "Thor…"

Thor squeezed Loki's shoulder. "Loki, do you remember the poem you read at your drama club's Halloween show? It was an excellent recitation and I am sure our friends would enjoy it."

Loki bit his lip. He didn't think any of them looked as though they’d enjoy listening to him recite a long narrative poem. "I don't think they’d like it, Thor."

"Of course they would! My friends, tell him!"

Bruce nodded. "I’d like to hear it."

Steve smiled as well. "Me too."

"And me!" Tony held a hand in the air as though he was answering a question in class. "Vote carried!" He gestured drunkenly, "Let the tale commence!"

Loki shot a nervous glance at Thor, who was gazing at him hopefully. He could do this for his brother. He cleared his throat and began, "Once upon a midnight dreary…"

Thor shook his head. "No, no, brother, you must do it as you did it then! Stand up!"

"Thor…"

"Do what the man says! Stand!"

When he saw how uncomfortable Loki looked, Clint echoed, “Stand!" and Natasha shouted her agreement.

Face red, Loki stood before them. Trying to pretend that he was on the stage and not performing to a drunken group of his brother's friends, he took a breath and repeated, "Once upon a midnight dreary…"

The others watched, enthralled despite everything. Even Clint was listening, and Natasha had to admit that whatever she and Clint thought of Loki - he was an incredible actor. His voice was perfect for the poem and his delivery was flawless. Even Tony seemed to have sobered up and was watching with clear admiration. Natasha made a note of the way he was watching Loki, and thought there may be some fireworks later on if Tony wasn't careful. All of them - except, of course, Thor - suspected that Loki may be having some questions about his sexuality, and it looked very much as though Tony wanted to help him explore them.

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing; doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before," Loki’s voice began to take on a dreamy quality, as if hypnotized, "But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, and the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?” This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”— Merely this and nothing more."

For a moment, his voice died away and he turned to look across the room. Natasha noticed that they’d left open the door to the meeting room. 

"Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning; soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.” 

So powerful was his performance that everyone in the room thought they heard that tapping noise. 

“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice…" His voice trailed away and he repeated, “Something at my window lattice…"

Natasha followed his gaze. She saw a flicker - candlelight? - and a movement caught her eye. She turned to see more clearly; there was nothing there. She had seen nothing, after all. No movement; certainly not a face at the window.

She had seen nothing.

Turning her attention back to the room, she realized Loki’s attention was now fixed on the doorway. The others had not yet noticed that anything was wrong; they were caught up in the story; they thought it was part of the act.

She reached out for Clint and he turned to look at her quizzically.

With no inflection in his voice, Loki began to intone, “The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, and I have many pretty things to shew when you get there. Oh, no, no! said the little Fly; to ask me is in vain: for who goes up that winding stair shall ne’er come down again.”

In the same monotonous tone, he repeated the last line and began to walk towards the meeting room, "For who goes up that winding stair shall ne’er come down again."

At last, the others seemed to realize that something was wrong and rushed to follow him.

"Loki? Brother, is this part of your performance?"

Loki stood in the center of the room, his eyes flashing a brilliant blue and his grin maniacal. "For who goes up that winding stair shall ne’er come down again." His voice changed, becoming singsong, jubilant; "Hear me... and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Leader... You may think this is suffering... No. It is salvation... Universal scales, tipped toward balance because of your sacrifice... Smile, for even in death you have become children of Thanos.”

Natasha felt a chill run down her spine and Tony seemed to suddenly sober. They heard the sound of voices coming from upstairs, and even further away, from the roof.

Thor grabbed Loki's arm. "Loki! Brother!"

Loki ignored him, blue eyes shining. "Hear me and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the great Thanos!"

Clint pushed Thor aside. "Let me try!"

He raised a hand to slap Loki's face, but Loki caught his wrist with lightning speed. With an unnatural strength, he pushed the archer away with such force that he crashed into the opposite wall.

Natasha ran to him. "Are you okay?"

Clint gasped and cradled his wrist to his chest. "I think he broke my wrist!"

Natasha turned back to the room. Loki was fighting off both Steve and Thor. Bruce was staring at him incredulously. 

"Bruce!"

Bruce looked over to see her kneeling beside Clint; he was cradling his wrist but looked otherwise unhurt. Bruce turned his attention back to the others. They were obviously trying not to hurt Loki, but of course, this wasn't Loki. Loki was a lot like Bruce in that he hated to fight. But he was fighting now, and if Bruce didn't step in, someone else was going to get hurt.

While Loki was distracted fighting off the others - with surprising and considerable skill - Bruce slipped behind him. As Loki whirled between Steve and Tony - Thor was lying on the ground clutching his stomach - Bruce made a grab for his legs and pulled him off balance, causing Loki to crash down with a thud, his head cracking against the floor.

For a moment, none of them moved.

“Shit!" cursed Tony. “Shit, shit, shit! What the FUCK just happened? What was that?"

Bruce was leaning over Loki, examining him, while Natasha was doing the same with Clint.

Steve crouched in front of Thor. "You okay?"

"Yes, I am only winded. How is my brother?"

Bruce shook his head. "He's out cold. Which isn't great news, if he already had a concussion to begin with."

Tony came and crouched beside them. He ran a finger over one closed eye. "If it's any consolation - and I personally don't think it is - I’m pretty sure he never had a concussion to begin with."

Steve walked over and stood beside them. "What do you mean?"

"I think something in this house has been affecting him since we got here. Anyone else happen to notice his eyes?"

"His eyes?" Steve frowned, but Natasha nodded. “They were blue."

Thor stood up gingerly and made his way to his brother's side. "My brother's eyes are green."

"Precisely. And you ever see him fight like that before? He had all of us on the ropes!"

"My brother does not like to fight, but when he must, he wins with strategy and guile - never with strength alone. I would never have believed he could fight all of us at the same time!"

Bruce fell back on his heels and ran his fingers through his hair. “So what are you saying?"

"I think it's pretty obvious, don't you? That wasn't Loki!"

Steve folded his arms. “That's impossible."

"Any more impossible than a kid who weighs next to nothing besting the five of us?"

"It's possible."

"Yeah, but it's not probable! And what about his eye color, huh? How’d he manage that?"

"He could have put in colored lenses," growled Clint.

"When? We were watching him the whole time! One minute, he's doing that ‘Raven’ thing and the next his eyes are blue and he's talking about stairs and rejoicing and sacrifices and shit! We didn't take our eyes off him!"

Bruce began to make his way over to Clint, who was still cradling his wrist. "What was he talking about, anyway? I mean, I get the religious stuff, but what was that thing about stairs and flies?" 

"It's the last line of the poem I quoted earlier - when I said ‘then come hither, pretty little flies!’"

"Huh." Bruce began to feel along the bones of Clint’s hand. The injured man drew in a breath. "Is it broken?"

"I don't think so, but I can't be sure. We should immobilize it, just in case. Anyone seen anything we can use for bandages and a splint?"

Tony moved towards the door. “There's a first aid kit in my car, I'll go and get it."

Natasha stood up as well. “There was a lot of stuff in the kitchen. There's probably something there we can use."

Steve nodded. "I'll come and help you look."

Thor brushed the hair away from his brother's face. "Will my brother be alright?"

Bruce looked up from Clint’s arm. "I hope so." At Thor's stricken look, he continued, "I'm doing my best, but I’m only a med student and this is not exactly something we cover."

“Should we take him to a hospital?"

"Honestly, I’d feel better if we could take both of them, but I don't know how we can. We still have the same problems as before - the only transport we have is a motorbike and Loki's just not stable enough to hold on."

Clint winced as Bruce tried to pull back his sleeve. "I am, though." 

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "You can't ride with that wrist."

"No, but I can hold on. Tasha can drive, I can hold on. We can get help."

Bruce nodded. "Yeah, I guess that would work."

"It's better than sitting here twiddling our thumbs."

A small moan made them look down. "Loki?"

Loki's eyes began to flutter open, only to quickly close again. “Ssh!"

"Loki, I need to ask some questions to see how badly you're hurt."

Loki's voice was strained. "Stop shouting! Can't hear over the shouting!"

The others exchanged a glance. Thor whispered to Bruce, “This is what he said before.” 

Bruce nodded, but motioned for Thor to be quiet. "There’s no shouting, Loki. Nobody’s even talking."

"No… head hurts… too loud!"

"What can you hear, Loki?" Bruce asked.

Loki frowned in concentration. "Don't know, I can't… can't make it out… hurts…"

Thor gripped Loki’s hand. “Then don't try. Listen to me, to my voice only."

"Can’t…"

"Come now, it shouldn’t be that hard! You are always complaining that my voice drowns out everything else. If you say now that it does not, we shall all think you are a liar!"

Loki gave a small sigh. "’M no liar."

Clint made a noise, but they all ignored him.

"Prove it, Loki. Listen only to my voice, drowning out all the others!" He proceeded to talk loudly about a football game he had played that afternoon.

After a few minutes, Loki's eyes opened. "Thor? I can't hear them anymore." He began to push himself up, swaying a little. Thor helped him into a sitting position just as the others came back into the room.

Natasha handed Bruce a wooden spatula. "Will this work?"

"Yeah, this'll be great, thanks. Where's Tony?"

"Right here!" He held up a well stocked first aid kit and Steve looked at him in surprise.

“Funny, I don't think of you as someone who keeps a first aid kit in your car."

"You can thank Jarvis, he really is the perfect butler. He said it was a necessity, considering the way I drive. Hate to admit it, but it's come in handy a few times."

Bruce was rummaging around in it. "Hey, this is great. Okay Natasha, can you hold his hand steady while I wrap it?"

Natasha nodded and he began to work. "Hey, Steve? While I’m doing this, can you grab a couple of Tylenol for them? They should help with the pain."

“Sure."

Loki watched curiously. “What happened to Clint?”

Steve frowned. “You don’t remember?”

“No…”

Bruce continued to wrap the bandage as he turned to look at Loki. “What do you remember?”

Loki thought back. “I was reciting the poem and then… my head hurt. I felt dizzy and… Did I faint again?”

Natasha opened her mouth but Bruce shot her a warning look. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”

Loki frowned. “So how did Clint get hurt?”

Tony squatted down next to Loki. “He slipped on the floor. He’ll be okay.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Steve sat next to Clint and handed him two pills and a bottle of water, then did the same for Loki.

While Loki was swallowing the pills, Clint outlined his plan to the rest of them.

"Are you sure you can hold on to me with only one hand?" asked Natasha.

"Yeah. Just don't go too fast around any corners."

Steve considered. "I'll be honest, I don't love the idea of Clint travelling like that, but it does seem to be the best plan. Unless you want to wait here while I go? I could probably get there faster."

"Nah. This way, I can get my wrist looked at quickly and Bruce only has one patient to deal with."

Natasha went back to the other room and came back with their coats. "Do we need to get an ambulance or just a tow truck?"

Bruce cast a quick look in Loki's direction. "An ambulance would be good."

"I don't need an ambulance!"

Steve looked worried. "Might be more convincing if you weren't slurring your words."

"’M fine."

Thor decided to settle the matter. "Please get an ambulance for my brother."

"Thor…"

"Loki! I have made a decision. That is the end of it."

Natasha gave a sharp nod. "Alright."

Tony walked with Natasha and Clint as they went out to the bike. “Sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah. Tasha will be careful."

"Yeah…" He bit his lip. "Look, I’m all for safety and stuff, but - if you can hurry and be safe at the same time, that would be awesome."

Natasha straddled the bike but made no move to put on her helmet. "You're worried?"

"Wonders will never cease, huh? Steve must be rubbing off on me. Yeah, I'm worried. I don't know what that was in there, but I don't think it's finished with Loki yet."

Clint looked back at the house. "We'll hurry."

Tony slapped him on the back and walked back to the house. Natasha said quietly, "You don't think he was faking?"

Clint gave a shrug. "I hate to admit it, but no. We all saw his eyes. You're right, there was no way he could do that, or throw me halfway across the room. And then fighting off Steve, Tony and Thor? No. There's something in that house and I think Tony's right. It isn't done yet."

\-----------

Tony watched from the door as the bike sped away. Steve came to stand beside him.

“They said they'll hurry."

"Good."

"Any ideas what we should do until then?"

Steve sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Nope. Not really my area of expertise. You?"

“Sure, I've been studying paranormal phenomena for years. You know, when I’m not developing an immunity to iocane powder."

Steve looked confused.

"You really gotta start watching more movies. Seriously, never seen 'The Princess Bride’?  
That's almost criminal. But in answer to your question, I have no idea what to do. I was going to suggest waiting in the car, but it's getting cold out here."

"It wasn't supposed to. I guess a cold front came through."

"Or the house is situated in the middle of a spooky ice kingdom. At this point, I'll believe anything."

They walked back to the others. Loki was drinking a bottle of water while Thor fussed over him and Bruce was standing by, looking worried.

Steve decided to take charge. "Loki, feeling better?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"I was thinking it might be a good idea to get out of this room and go back to the parlor. Our things are there, and at least we can get warm and have something to eat."

No one had a problem with that idea. Thor helped Loki stand and tried to support him as he walked, until Loki finally snapped, "Thor, in a minute you'll be carrying me! I can walk."

Thor released him, but stayed close, walking beside Bruce.

As they left the room, Tony turned back to speak to Steve but the words dried up in his mouth. Steve turned to see what he was staring at. 

The room they had just left was bright with candles. As they stared, they became aware of the murmur of voices.

Tony summed up their feelings perfectly.

"Oh, shit."

\----------

They stood frozen, staring through the doorway, unsure what to do.

They heard Bruce call out, "Hey, guys? Everything alright?"

Steve could faintly hear someone preaching, “Rejoice! Rejoice!" He swallowed down the bile that rose in his throat. Tony was looking equally green.

"How is this happening? How is this FUCKING HAPPENING?!"

"I don't know. What do we do?"

They whirled around at the sound of footsteps beside them.

"Hey guys, whatcha…" Bruce trailed off. "Do you see… is that…"

"Yeah, we see it."

Steve took a step forward. Bruce put out a hand to stop him, but he shook it off. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a second as he stepped into the doorway. The room was just as they had left it a few minutes ago. He heard the others come up beside him.

"What the actual fuck?"

"But it was… There were candles…"

"Yes." Steve forced himself to walk forward. Tony and Bruce flanked him.

Bruce stared about the room. "What's going on here?"

Tony caught a scent on the air. "Anyone else smell that?"

The other two sniffed. It was the smell of an extinguished candle.

"Okay, so I vote we get the fuck out of here."

“Seconded," muttered Bruce.

Steve stood a moment longer. He thought he heard a muffled laugh, deep and mirthless. He quickly turned and followed the others.

\----------

Thor looked up worriedly as they came into the room. "Is everything alright?"

Bruce pinched his fingers over the bridge of his nose. "Define ‘alright’."

Tony walked over to his bag and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. "Don't bother. Nothing is even vaguely ‘alright’. We can't wait for the others, we've gotta get out of here."

Steve threw himself into a chair, releasing a cloud of dust. He barely noticed. "And go where? Nothing has changed. There's nowhere we can walk to, we're miles from anywhere. The odds of anyone else driving along that road are slim to none."

"We wait in the car until help arrives."

Thor glanced between them, puzzled. "Friends, what has happened?"

There was a moment of silence before Bruce answered, "We saw something."

The color drained from Loki's face. "What did you see?"

Tony emptied his cup. "Nothing you need to worry about. What about waiting in the car?"

"Like you said earlier, it's way too cold out there."

"It’s only until the others send help. We’ve got our sleeping bags, we can huddle together. Hey, I've always thought we should be closer."

Bruce ignored his joke. "I think he's right. I vote for the car. Thor?"

"If you think we should leave, then I trust your judgement."

“Steve?"

Steve just nodded.

They began to gather their things. After a few minutes, Steve hoisted his bag over his shoulder. "Everybody ready?"

Hearing general assent, they headed for the door. At the foot of the stairs, Steve looked back at Tony. "What about your equipment?"

"I'll live without it."

Steve turned the handle for the front door. Nothing happened. He tried again, pushing harder.

"What's wrong?"

"It's not opening."

Tony pushed him aside. "Let me try."

After a few minutes, he swore. "How the hell did it get locked anyway? We don't even have a key!"

"He's not going to let us leave." Loki was watching them, his face pale.

"Well, tough. We're going. Thor, can you break the lock?"

"I can try."

They all moved back and Thor barrelled into the door with all his might. He rebounded and fell to the floor.

"You're not going to get the door open."

Tony swore. "Fine, then we'll go through a window."

He stormed back into the room they had just left and looked around for something solid to break the glass.

“That won't work either."

"Why not?"

Loki pointed. “There are bars on the windows."

“Shit! Shit, shit, SHIT!"

Steve threw down his bag. “There has to be a way out of here."

“There isn't."

"Wasn't there a back door in the kitchen?"

"Yes! Bruce, remind me to tell you how much I love you!" Tony rushed out into the hallway and stopped abruptly. Steve and Bruce, following close behind, ran into him. Then they too, froze.

They could hear sounds from all over the house. Lights were on in the kitchen and they could hear the faint murmur of a radio. Upstairs, a record was softly playing; Tony recognized 'The Rubberband Man’. "Okay, this is bad."

Steve shivered. "It's freezing in here."

"Probably the least of our problems," offered Bruce.

"Loki? Are you alright?"

They turned.

Loki's eyes were blue and he was staring into space.

"Loki! Brother!" Thor shook him and the lights in the house flickered.

Tony's jaw fell open. "It's him!"

"What?"

"It's him, he's doing this!"

Thor turned angrily. “Stark, if you think…"

"Lemme try something." He stepped forward and slapped Loki hard across the face. For a moment, as his head rocked from the force of the blow, the lights disappeared and the house fell back into darkness.

But only for a moment.

“So what do we do?"

"We can't keep hitting him! Even if he didn't have a concussion from the car accident, he's bound to have one from when I knocked him down. If we knock him out again, we risk causing permanent damage."

Thor stepped in front of his brother. "You will not hurt him."

They heard shouting and footsteps running up the stairs. Halfway up they disappeared.

Now the sounds in the other rooms returned, magnified. From the room across the hall, they could hear clearly now. They recognized Loki's speech from earlier.

"Hear me... and rejoice…"

Loki pushed past them all and headed towards the voice. Thor tried to pull him back, but he threw him off. 

They followed.

\----------

The room was brightly lit with candles. A pale, skinny man walked through a room of kneeling people that were watching him avidly. 

"You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Thanos... You may think this is suffering... No. It is salvation... Universal scales, tipped toward balance because of your sacrifice... Smile, for even in death you have become children of Thanos."

There was a sound behind them and they quickly stepped back. "Father? What are you doing?" They all recognized her from her picture - it was his daughter, Gamora. 

The thin man turned at the sound of her voice. “It is time to choose a side or die. One side a revelation, the other an honor known only to a few.”

She scowled. “I wasn’t asking you, Ebony Maw.”

She was speaking to a man they hadn’t noticed before - a thing that seemed ridiculous, since he was the largest man they had ever seen. 

He answered his daughter, his voice low and resonant. "We are making our sacrifices to the Lady Death; we are bringing balance to the universe. Where there is life, there must also be death. It's a simple calculus. This universe is finite, its resources, finite. If life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist. It needs correcting. We are all exchanging our physical bodies for eternal life. Come, be the first to offer your life for our lady."

She stepped back, horrified. "No! Never!"

“Daughter, I raised you…”

“I am not your daughter! You didn't raise me, you kidnapped me, orphaned me and imprisoned me! Everything I hate about myself comes from you!”

She turned and ran upstairs. The living watchers parted and stepped back further as Thanos raised himself from his chair and began to follow her, Loki following in his wake.

As Loki left the meeting room, it froze behind him, like a paused picture.

They watched in disbelief. 

"What do we do?" asked Bruce.

"Follow? See if there are any clues why this is happening? Maybe there's something we can do to stop this."

None of them liked the idea, but for want of a better one, they slowly walked up the stairs. Loki was standing in the hallway, halfway between Gamora’s room and the door to the roof. 

Thor shook him. “Brother! Loki, please!”

Loki didn’t respond.

Gamora was throwing things into a bag. 

"Daughter, what are you doing?"

"I’m leaving. Peter and I are getting married.”

“He is a fool. You will never be happy with him.”

“I love him and I’ll take my chance with him. Whatever nightmares the future holds, they will seem like dreams compared to what’s behind me! I never want to see you again!"

"We are doing this for a noble purpose."

"You're insane if you expect me to die surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy!"

"You will not do this thing for the love of the Lady Death? For the love of your family? For love of me, my daughter?"

"I already told you no. And do you want to know why? Because I have no family! You care for none of us, not me, not Nebula," at this she choked on a sob, "and not even your beloved ‘Lady Death’."

She turned to face him and he snatched the bag from her hand, tossing it into the corner.  
"Let me go."

"No." He stood in front of her, blocking her path. "I will lock you in this room until you change your mind."

"I will never agree!"

He merely smiled.

The fight seemed to go out of her. She sank down on her bed and he sat beside her, the wooden frame creaking under his massive bulk. As soon as she saw that he was sitting, she flew from the bed and ran into the hallway. Worshippers coming up the stairs blocked her escape. In desperation, she ran to the only other exit - the door to the roof.

Thanos growled and followed her, the others following behind them. The people blocking the stairway began to push forward.

\----------

On the roof, Gamora realized her mistake - she was trapped. 

She faced Thanos. "All my life I dreamed of a day when you got what you deserved and I could be free of you. And I was always so disappointed. Now you kill and torture and you call it sacrifice. Do you want to know why I want to leave? Because you love nothing. No one. Not even death, for all that you say you do."

He took a step closer and she took a corresponding step back. The back of her legs hit the low wall that circled the roof.

Thanos reached out and caught her in his grasp. She fought against him, but he was too strong. There were tears in his eyes. "I’m sorry, my daughter. But this is our destiny."

Before she could speak another word, he wrenched her wrist and hurled her from the rooftop.

The others watched in shock. Before any of them could react, Loki began to walk forward.

Thor’s blood ran cold as the ghost of Thanos turned and spoke directly to his brother. "Ah, Loki. We've been waiting for someone like you for a very long time."

At the sound of his voice, Loki seemed to falter. He took a step back; Thor took advantage of his hesitation and pulled him closer.

Thanos bore down on the two of them, his eyes locked on Loki. "You have no need to fear me. I am offering you a better life than the one you have now. You see, I know what it's like to long for acceptance; to try so hard to win - to feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless. I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same. And now it's here. Or should I say, I am. I am offering you a resurrection of sorts. Eternal life, here with us. With death."

Loki moved forward once more. 

“The end to all your suffering, your doubts. One small sacrifice on your part, and you will join us; you will be part of our family - one of the Children of Thanos."

Loki sighed. There was something about that sigh. It wasn't whatever was controlling him; it wasn't the same power that had taken over his mind and was making his eyes blue. The sigh came from Loki - their Loki - and it spoke of longing and weariness, of hope and resignation.

“The universe lies within your grasp. Your meaningless life can end today, and the universe will open to you - one side a revelation, the other an honor known only to a few. Join us!"

Loki took another step forward. Thor tried to follow, but found himself blocked by a line of worshippers that moved between them. They began to chant, '”Rejoice! Rejoice!"

Fighting his distaste, Thor pushed past the line; it was like walking into a strong wind. The spirits he went through uttered unearthly screams that split his ears. He grabbed Loki's arm and whirled him around.

"Brother, if you love me, you will listen!" To his relief, Loki didn't move. "I know that you have often been unhappy, and perhaps much of that has been my fault. I could have been more considerate of your feelings, I know, but if there is one thing I would have you hear - never doubt that I love you, brother."

He saw Loki's brow furrow and his eyes began to clear. "Thor?"

Thor didn't speak, but pulled his brother into a huge bear hug. Around them, the voices stopped.

Thanos’ voice boomed into the night. "How sweet. But your brother’s love is finite, conditional. I am offering you eternity! You must be strong. The hardest choices require the strongest will.”

Thor pulled his brother back to his side. "You will find our will equal to your own! He will not succumb to you today or ever."

This time, Thanos’ smile was feral. "Oh, I think he will.” 

They were startled to hear a noise, the loud creak of the front door opening. A female voice called out clearly, “Thor? Thor?”

Thor whirled around, startled. “Jane! She must not enter!”

Steve began to sprint down the winding stairs. Thor rushed to follow him, forcing Bruce in front of him down the narrow staircase. Tony saw a gleam in Thanos’ eyes and ran to hold open the door, but too late - it slammed shut.

He pulled at the brass handle. It didn’t move. Turning back to the roof, he saw that Loki was still standing where Thor had left him, staring after his brother.

Thanos’ grin was predatory. “So much for your brother. How quickly he abandons you for another!”

A tear began to slowly roll down Loki’s cheek.

Tony stepped forward, only to be blocked by the line that had reformed between them. He tried to push through them as Thor had done, but now the spirits were as solid as he was. “Loki, Thor just wanted to stop Jane from getting caught up in this. You know that, right?”

Loki didn’t answer, he just continued to stare at the door. Thanos was standing so close to him, he could feel the ice cold breath on the back of his neck. 

“Loki, you get to choose - your sacrifice for my lady and a life eternal, or the lives of your brother and his friends."

Loki stared, horrified. "You couldn't." 

"Oh, but I can. Cull!” He made a gesture and suddenly Tony found himself in the grip of the largest acolyte, a hulking beast of a man. Tony tried to shake him off but it was useless. He was pushed to the ground as a woman rushed forward and held a knife to his neck.

Thanos smiled. “You have no idea what an asset you could be to us, do you, Loki? You are a conduit. Oh, the power you possess! The energy in you is feeding us like electricity. While you live and remain in this house, we are as strong as we ever were when we were alive."

"No…" He didn't know what to do. All of this was because of him, he was giving them power; and while they had that power, he couldn't fight them. None of them could.

Tony was watching, horrified. “Don’t do it, Lokes. We’ll figure something out! I’m a genius, I can get us out of here!” He groaned as the knife pushed closer to his neck, drawing a drop of blood, but he carried on talking. “Hey, maybe after all of this we could go out for dinner or something? What do you say?”

“I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

For a moment, his heart leapt and he thought he’d done it.

Then Loki gave a small, sad smile. “But he’s right; we can’t win against him. Would you tell Thor… tell Thor...,” his voice broke. “Never mind. He has Jane now.”

Loki turned towards Thanos. 

"Loki, NO!"

"You promise that you will let them escape unharmed? All of them?"

"In return for your sacrifice, I will let them escape unharmed."

Loki waited a moment longer; they were trapped. Even if they could escape the rooftop, there was nowhere to go. It was the same position Gamora had found herself in. He thought again of the line from the poem - ‘for who goes up that winding stair shall ne’er come down again’. It would be true for him, but it had not been true for the others and it would not be true for Tony if he could do anything to save him.

He nodded. The other spirits swarmed between them, and Tony was released, only to find himself being forced backwards to the staircase. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ebony Maw fling the roof door open.

“Loki!”

Loki sounded very far away. “It’s time for you to go, Tony. Time for you all to go. Hurry and get out of here while you have the chance.”

The press of spirits moved forward and pushed Tony down the first step. In an attempt to steady himself, he took another step back. Once he was clear of the door, it slammed shut. The spirits continued to advance, forcing him further back with every step.

\----------

Steve reached Jane first. She was standing in the doorway, holding the door open as she looked around.

At the sight of Steve, her eyes brightened. “Steve! Oh, I’m happy to see you, I was beginning to think no one was here!”

Steve made a dive for the door. “Don’t let the door close!”

In her shock, she loosened her grip and the door began to swing shut; Steve pitched forward and grabbed it before it could latch. Thor was at his heels and pulled a large stone planter to hold it open.

He pulled her into a hug. “Jane! What are you doing here? I thought you were visiting Darcy this weekend?”

Jane rolled her eyes. “Darcy forgot and made other plans, so I decided to come here.” She held up a bag. “I brought my camping things!”

“No, you must leave this place, we all must!” 

She looked astonished. “Why, what’s happened?”

He made a gesture. “This house, it is a cursed place! We have been trying to escape it for many hours.”

“Why didn’t you just leave?”

“The door would not open. But now you have opened it and we are free to go at last! Truly, I am glad to see you!”

Holding her tightly with one arm, he called out to Bruce on the stairs. “Bruce! The door is open, we can leave now! Where are the others?”

“The door closed behind me, Thor. Loki and Tony are still on the roof.”

Thor paled. “We must go back and fetch them.”

They were interrupted by the sound of footsteps as Tony came running down the stairs. Steve caught a glimpse of the wraith army behind him and quickly pulled Jane outside to safety.

Thor ran forward. “Loki! Stark, where is my brother?”

The spirits retreated once Tony reached the bottom of the staircase. “Loki’s still up there, they wouldn’t let him leave!”

“I must go and help him.” Thor climbed halfway up the staircase before the spirits pressed forward and threw him down. He landed with a thud. “No! Loki!”

He tried again, but this time the swirling mass of worshippers swarmed down the stairs and forced them out through the large front door. The door slammed shut in their faces.

\----------

Thor began to bang his fists against the solid oak. “Loki! LOKI!”

He was screaming so loudly that he shouldn’t have been able to hear Tony’s whispered, “Oh god, Loki!”, but he did.

He followed Tony’s gaze and his heart missed a beat.

Loki was above them, standing on the parapet. Thor’s screams became a plea. “Loki, please! Loki, please!” He didn’t even know what he was praying for.

There was light enough to see Loki clearly, and it occurred to Thor that the sun was coming up. He felt a desperate rush of hope. Perhaps the sunlight would drive them away, perhaps Loki could still be saved…

Loki evidently had the same thought. He raised his head and turned to face the rising sun. He stepped down from the parapet to the safety of the roof, and the watchers on the ground gave a sigh of relief.

Shadowed by the sun, they saw the figure of Thanos loom over Loki, and they watched in horror as the huge man flung out a great arm and hit Loki square in the chest.

The force of the blow was enough to knock him off his feet and send him sailing into the air. They watched as Loki arced into the sky, his arms whirling frantically as if they could save him. 

The landscape had changed since Thanos had thrown Gamora from the same spot. It seemed to Thor that he would hear forever the crack and snap of every branch and twig Loki’s body hit on the way to the ground. He landed with a thud at the same moment that the sun rose in the sky.

They stood, frozen for an instant before the sound of a distant ambulance broke the silence of the morning. Steve and Tony looked back at the rooftop, but no figures were visible. It seemed they had vanished with the dawn.

The spell broke, and as the ambulance pulled up outside the iron gates, Thor began to run towards the broken body of his brother.

**Author's Note:**

> **WARNING!**
> 
> Major character death (possibly. You decide.)
> 
> I wrote this last year for Halloween, but couldn’t finish it because I couldn’t think of a way to end it happily; then I realized, I don’t have to. The current ending is rather bleak, but I’ve deliberately left it open - you can decide what happens next, and if anyone wants to write an epilogue, I’d love to read it!


End file.
